Chico Peace and Justice Center

March 11, 2010
Chico City Council Chambers (411 Main Street)

The Northern California State Budget Alliance hosted a town hall meeting to discuss the current state budget crisis.  Representatives from various community sectors, a local economist, and a tax expert discussed community needs and concerns as compared to the Governor’s proposed budget. Time was also dedicated for citizen input with many suggestions about next steps.

During this economic downturn and the predicted $20 billion state budget shortfall, the Governor has proposed a budget that drastically cuts spending by at least 10% in almost every state department. This move would cut services for many Californians, especially the poor, the elderly and the disabled.

March 20, 2010
Children's Playground to MLK Park

The Chico Peace & Justice Center honored peacemakers in history by walking for peace and justice in our time. Families completed a walk from Children’s Playground to the MLK, Jr. Park on 20th Street stopping at Peace Checkpoints along the way.  Each participant collected mementos of peace (stones, stickers, buttons) in bags provided by the sponsors of the march.

At the MLK, Jr.  Park, we closed with a celebration of the event and a rally commemorating the anniversary of the Iraq War.

March 20, 2010

We marked the passage of seven long years of the War in Iraq at the end of the Pathway to Peace Walk.  Many local youths and longtime activists spoke on this day, calling for an end to the war.  Kathy Kelly, longtime peace activist, was our keynote speaker.

Kathy Kelly co-coordinates Voices for Creative Nonviolence, (www.vcnv.org) a campaign to end U.S. military and economic warfare. As a co-founder of Voices in the Wilderness, she helped form 70 delegations, from 1996 - 2003, that openly defied economic sanctions by bringing medicines to children and families in Iraq. Kathy and her companions lived in Baghdad throughout the 2003 “Shock and Awe” bombing.

More recently, she has visited Gaza and Pakistan, writing eyewitness accounts of war’s impact on civilians.